Ubisoft: Players Shouldn’t Expect to Own Their Games Forever

A lawsuit was filed against Ubisoft recently, suing the developer and publisher for shutting down its racing game The Crew. The company recently responded claiming players shouldn’t expect to actually own the games they purchase. Ubisoft says there is no reason for players to expect to have “unfettered ownership rights in the game” In Ubisoft’s […] The post Ubisoft: Players Shouldn’t Expect to Own Their Games Forever appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Apr 10, 2025 - 19:21

Ubisoft: Players Shouldn’t Expect to Own Their Games Forever

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A lawsuit was filed against Ubisoft recently, suing the developer and publisher for shutting down its racing game The Crew. The company recently responded claiming players shouldn’t expect to actually own the games they purchase.

Ubisoft says there is no reason for players to expect to have “unfettered ownership rights in the game”

In Ubisoft’s filing to dismiss this case in February (as reported by Polygon), the company’s lawyers state when players purchase one of its games, they are purchasing a license to use the product. Specifically, they state that players should not expect to have “unfettered ownership rights in the game.”

“Frustrated with Ubisoft’s recent decision to retire the game following a notice period delineated on the product’s packaging, Plaintiffs apply a kitchen sink approach on behalf of a putative class of nationwide customers, alleging eight causes of action including violations of California’s False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, as well as common law fraud and breach of warranty claims,” said Ubisoft’s lawyers.

Much of Ubisoft’s response claims the Plaintiffs don’t have a case for several reasons, including the aforementioned licensing, or suffering a “cognizable injury” due to The Crew shutting down.

“Plaintiffs also have not plausibly alleged injury as required to establish standing, because the access they received to The Crew is entirely consistent with what Ubisoft marketed to them— specifically, with the representations on The Crew’s packaging and in Ubisoft’s Terms of Use,” claims Ubisoft’s lawyers. “Plaintiffs allege injury at the point of sale by virtue of their purchasing only a limited license to play The Crew, rather than full ownership and the unrestricted right to play the game in perpetuity.”

The Crew was released back in 2014. However, it officially shut down its servers last year due to “server infrastructure and licensing constraints.”

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